We must be united in the war against addiction! My mission is to unite organizations,support groups, and everyone else who needs a helping hand. I am here to educate equip and develop a Recovery resource Network. My hope is that everyone gets the help they need and no one is left behind or alone in their fight for freedom from addiction. Join me and lets fight the good fight! Our Philosophy: Instigate, Agitate, Educate, and Liberate!

Saturday, May 11, 2013

Heroin Addiction Takes Toll in Suburban New Jersey

New Jersey officials report a rise in heroin addiction,
drug-related crime and deaths among young people in suburbs. Many became
addicted to prescription painkillers, and switched to heroin because it
is cheaper, potent and widely available, according to The Record of Woodland Park.

The growth of heroin use among young people in the suburbs is being seen nationwide.
According to the 2011 National Survey on Drug Use and Health, the
number of people who were past-year heroin users in 2011 (620,000) was
higher than the number in 2007 (373,000).

New Jersey is a center of heroin use in part because of its ports and
highways, which are conduits for South American heroin, the article
notes. Heroin found on New Jersey streets today is at least five times
more pure than it was several decades ago, law enforcement officials
say. The increased potency leads to quicker addiction, they add.

“Heroin is much more commonplace than it’s been in years,” Ellen
Elias, Director of the Center for Alcohol and Drug Resources in
Hackensack, told the newspaper. “We see it all around. It seems like the
population in which heroin is most prevalent is that 18- to 25-year-old
population.”

Police in Bergen County, in northern New Jersey, report increases in
shoplifting, home invasions, burglaries and armed robberies, by people
addicted to heroin who are seeking money to buy drugs.

Last week, New Jersey Governor Chris Christie signed into law
a measure that encourages people to report drug overdoses. The law
allows people to call 911 to report a drug overdose, without the fear of
getting arrested for drug possession themselves.